Portrait sculpture of Märt Tiru

The portrait sculpture of Brigadier-General Märt Tiru (1947–2005) is located in the heart of Rapla. Former Estonian President Lennart Meri appointed Colonel Tiru the Deputy Commander of the Defence Forces in 2000, and promoted him to Brigadier-General later the same year – making him the first man to achieve such a rank in the country. Tiru played an importance role in Estonia’s accession to NATO.
Did you know…?
*Tiru’s final place of service was the United States, where he acted as a military representative of Estonia
*The sculpture of Tiru was unveiled on Victory Day 2008 by current President Toomas Hendrik Ilves